Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Traditional preprint circulars continue to dominate many retailers’ promotional offerings but digital coupon momentum is accelerating judging from strong 2014 results at Coupons.com.

Total revenue in the company’s fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014 increased 14% to $60 million and full year revenue increased 32% to $221.8 million. Total digital coupon transactions in 2014 increased 23% to 1.6 billion.

Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Adult retail operator Hustler Hollywood is taking advantage of the traffic surge expected by the Valentine's Day weekend release of Universal Pictures' "Fifty Shades of Grey." The retailer announced that select locations will open their doors on the morning of Feb. 13 and remain open round-the-clock until end of business on Valentine's Day.

Selling toilet paper is a tricky proposition, but a clever campaign from Procter & Gamble looks to drive sales by leveraging the popularity of firefighters to engage with consumers via social media.

The Charmin Relief Project encourages consumers to nominate their local firehouses online or via social media for the chance to receive a year’s supply of toilet paper. Since firehouses serve as a home-away-from-home for many firefighters, Charmin wants to make sure these heroes are fully stocked with one of the most basic comforts of home: toilet paper.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  — The Joint Industry Coupon Committee on Thursday urged retailers to prepare for the retirement of UPC Prefix 5 barcodes from manufacturer coupons. These symbols will no longer be used after June 30, 2015, as manufacturers shift to exclusive use of the GS1 DataBar format for coupons.   

By Scollay Petry, OtherLevels

Top of mind for retailers wanting to better engage with shoppers in their brick-and-mortar locations this holiday season are in-location technologies (e.g. beacons) and the personalization tactics they make possible. According to MediaPost, about 20% of retailers already use iBeacons, while 54% plan to implement the technology by 2015. With the promise of immediacy and “in-store engagement,” others undoubtedly will jump on the beacon bandwagon soon.

Walmart shoppers who read Harlequin novels and who also have a fondness for bull riders are in for a treat.

New York - With gas prices down 31% since June 2014 and oil prices tumbling to their lowest levels in several years, American consumer confidence has improved dramatically. According to the Nielsen Consumer Confidence Report, in fourth quarter 2014 U.S. consumer confidence went up 12 percentage points year-over-year.

Louisville, Ky. – Papa John’s International Inc. is taking its Super Bowl focus off trivial football inflation concerns and on something that matters – free pizza. Customers who place a minimum order of $15 on Papajohns.com using promo code SUPERBOWL between Thursday, Jan. 29 and Sunday, Feb. 1 will receive a free large pizza with up to three toppings on their next order beginning Monday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, February 22.